A Maximum Challenge: Song of the Heart
by Valkyra
Summary: It was actually too horrible, too vile, to disgusting to explain in words. Everything you thought you knew... gone. Vanished. Destroyed. And you thought Itex was bad.
1. Why?

****

Hey guys! So, I was reading a few stories, and I came across this challege thing! (Apparently it's by someone named The Ninja?) I thought it loked like fun and decided to try it out! Here's my attempt at being good at challenges.

**Seriously, though, it took WAY longer than expected. And some of them are pretty... odd. But that's only because I was typing at two in the morning (only time I could sneak onto my computer - don't ask). So if some seem a little strange, just review and tell me what was wrong! :D (and that, ladies and gentlemen, was my attempt to trick any readers into reviewing! Ain't I sneaky? :P) **

**I am required to warn you that one of these one-shots includes the consumption of alcohol. And one has excessive dancing. Oh! And there's also quite a bit of blood in one... You have been warned. (Jk, nothing _too _graphic.)**

**iPod Challenge:**

**1. Pick a character, pairing, or fandom you like.**

**2. Turn on your music player and put it on random/shuffle.**

**3. Write a drabble related to each song that plays. **

**4. Do ten of these and then post them**

_Naturally – Selena Gomez _

* * *

Max didn't know exactly what she liked about him; she didn't have a list of favorites like he did.

Maybe it's the way he moved, or spoke, or was always by her side. Always there, always ready, always willing. It was almost a natural thing for her now, to look to her right and meet his dark, mysterious eyes watching her gravely, ready for her order.

It all just came naturally.

The two of them could move together on the battlefield, knowing each other's every move before they even made it. Max loved that thrill of battle, feeling his energy next to hers, a fire so brilliant it made her own spirit soar. They were like a storm, sweeping through enemies and obstacles while barely breaking a sweat.

Naturally, she loved him.

Kissing him was something else. She could feel his passion, his love, his devotion race through her every time she met his lips. Like a rumble of thunder, unseen but felt by everyone.

They were a natural pair.

He knew who he was and what he wanted. He knew her, and what she needed.

Naturally, they were in love.

* * *

_Hot n Cold – Katy Perry_

To be honest, he was driving Nudge insane.

It had been four years since they'd defeated Itex, and Fang had returned, and everything was supposed to be great. She was supposed to be able to go shopping, and see movies, and flirt with cute guys, just like any other sixteen year old avian hybrid with wings.

Except for _him_.

Stupid, stupid, _stupid_ Iggy. Who just didn't know what he wanted.

At first, it seemed like he was smitten by Ella, who couldn't have been more thrilled. Even blind, Iggy had acted like a perfect gentleman, treating her with the utmost courtesy and respect, though Nudge had a sneaking suspicion it had something to do with Max breathing down his neck every time he so much as twitched in Ella's direction.

But Nudge had been happy for Ella. The pair seemed perfect, and that was enough for her. Her world was still in order.

And then he came panting after her.

From the beginning, Nudge had been confused. She'd thought it was some dumb prank that Iggy was playing, toying with Ella's jealousy. That is, until a heartbroken Ella came to her crying and screaming and demanding to know why she – _her very best friend in the whole wide world_ – had stolen Iggy.

Nudge didn't know what to think. After a few weeks, with Ella's consent, she finally accepted Iggy's advancements, and went out with him. It had seemed to work out just right between them, until, one day –

He went crawling back to Ella. Nudge was more lost than ever. She knew she was officially going insane when he came to her _again_.

Back and forth, to and fro, hither and thither.

Iggy just couldn't decide, could he?

_Well, he's going to right now,_ she thought angrily, tapping her foot impatiently as Ella hefted an iron-wrought pan menacingly in one hand – cliché, Nudge knew, but it seemed to get the point across to the semi-blind Iggy as he cowered in the corner.

"Well?" she snapped. "Who's it gonna be?"

"Um…" Iggy stalled, looking back and forth between the two. "Well, the thing is…"

"Excuse me?" Ella growled, putting one hand behind her ear. "I don't think I heard that. What did you say?"

"I, uh…"

Nudge clenched her teeth and planted her hands on her hips, satisfied when Iggy paled at the tone of her voice. "You have until five, four, three, two, o-"

"There's someone else!" Iggy burst out, waving his hands frantically. Instantly he seemed to regret the outburst, clapping his hands over his mouth with an expression of horror.

Both Ella and Nudge stood dumbstruck, mouths agape. They turned to look once at each other, nodded once, and moved in for the kill.

Later, when Max would ask her why Iggy was unconscious in the front yard with a dent the size of a frying pan in his head, Nudge would just laugh and saunter off.

Sweet sixteen, indeed.

* * *

_Pretty Handsome Awkward – The Used_

He didn't know it would hurt this much, leaving her. He didn't know how hard it would be, finding others like him. He didn't know how miserable he would get all alone.

He didn't know a lot of things, apparently.

He stared out the grimy window of the diner, morose despair settling in his dark eyes. He couldn't go back, not while Mr. Perfect, as Max called him, was still there. And with Max's job to save the world going off track every time he got near her.

He sighed wearily. He just couldn't win, could he?

"Hey, you okay?"

He peered up through his shaggy dark hair, surprised to see a pretty young waitress standing there a concerned look written on her features.

He gave a wry smile. "Yeah, I guess." He half-turned away, a clear dismissal, but she refused to budge.

"You look pretty low, kid."

His voice was laced with sarcasm. "That's 'cause I am." He gave her an once-over, raising a blush to her cheeks. "And who you calling kid?"

The waitress winked and plopped herself down in the booth across from him. "Fine then, pretty boy. What's your name?"

More than a little surprised at her audacity, he stumbled over a response. "F-Nick."

"Fnick?" the waitress grinned. "Your parents must have hated you."

He raised an eyebrow. "Nah, they just didn't have way with words. Weren't big on love, either." It's pretty hard to get any sort of reaction from a test tube.

"Huh." The waitress unfolded her arms, extending a hand. "Nice to meet you, Fnick. I'm Diana."

He shook her hand gingerly, noticing the rough callouses on her fingers_. So she isn't one of those stupid, giggly girls that don't do anything_, he noted with satisfaction. _She's a hard worker, just like Max_.

"So, Fnick, tell me what's wrong." Diana leaned back in her seat, a calm look in her eyes.

He only hesitated for a moment before he answered. "I was putting someone I loved in danger, so I left." He bowed his head, dark hair covering his eyes and hiding his face from view. "But it's been hard."

Diana nodded thoughtfully. "That's pretty tough."

He only grunted in agreement, but his head shot up at her next words.

"Just stop being such a baby!"

"W-what?"

Diana was scowling, eyebrows furrowed. "You're perfectly healthy, Fnick. You have a strong body, and you're young. There is lots of people dying out there in the world, who want to do everything you can and be with the people they love. And they can't. _But you can_." She leaned forwards, a kind of intensity crossing her face that scared him a little. "So get off your sorry butt and go be with the people you care about. Keep them safe. And be happy."

His mouth was agape by the time she was done. "O-okay…" he started, but she was already bustling him out the door.

"Go!"

Startled, he sprang forwards and snapped open his wings, forgetting for a moment she was there, but when he looked down, she was only gazing up serenely, waving vigourously at him as he soared away. Putting it out of his mind, he flapped his wings and gained altitude, dwindling to just a speck in the dark sky.

Diana smiled one last time, whispering, "Good-bye, Fang." Then she shut the door firmly behind her and, pushing aside the partition, walked quickly to the back rooms of the diner. She paused in front of a simple wooden door and knocked once.

"Miss, I did what you said," she called. "You can come out now."

The door creaked open and a red-haired woman stepped into the hallway. "Thank you, Diana," she smiled. "You've been a great help. Here you go." She pressed a few bills into Diana's waiting hand.

"Thank you, Miss…?" Diana looked at her expectantly.

The redhead smiled again, flipping a lock of hair behind her shoulder.

"Dwyer. Brigid Dwyer."

* * *

_So What – P!nk_

The crowd of men around her roared approvingly as Max chugged the last dregs from the drink, swiping her hand across her mouth and holding the glass up victoriously.

"Keep it coming!" she yelled, earning more appluading bellows as men laughed and whistled. "And the next rounds on me!" she added, as everyone in the bar cheered.

Max grinned and took another swig. This was definitely the best idea she'd had in a long time since Fang had left. _If he could only see me now_, she thought rebelliously.

It'd been six years since she'd found that stupid note, and at twenty-one, Max was taking full advantage of being able to drink. She'd already visited two bars that night and she _still_ wasn't drunk; her bird genes and faster heart burned off alcohol almost immediately, and she got a pleasant buzz in the meantime.

"Ma'am, you sure?" the bartender asked cautiously. "You've already had seven drinks!"

Max laughed. "Never been so sure in my life, buddy. In fact," she said with a cheschire-cat grin, "the only thing that would make this night better is a good fight!"

The bartender just gaped at her before scuttling off to get her drink. Max smirked and looked around. _There we go_, she thought happily, eyeing two biker men in the corner. _Perfect_.

"Hey, you two!" she called. The biker men glanced up, faces caught in a permanent scowl. "Yeah, you two sissies. Don't you know this ain't Girly-girls R Us?"

The bar was filled with caterwhauls as the two burly men shot to their feet. "You talking to us?" one of them bellowed.

Laughing sadistically, Max took another gulp before slamming her glass on the table and beckoning with one hand. "Come on then, ladies. Unless you're scared," she grinned.

Instantly the men started forwards and Max smiled eagerly. They were almost five feet apart when a tanned hand shot out and halted the bikers' progress. "Easy there," a cool voice interjected. The men looked down at the dark-haired man who stood before them, relaxed, even as Max crouched, frozen. "Now, I'm sure you can tell this young lady is just a little drunk. Can't we excuse her behavior just for tonight?"

The men grunted. "Whatever." Together they turned and clomped away, chains rattling.

The dark-haired man turned to stare at Max, dark eyes flashing. She stood silent, paralyzed by the sound of his voice. "Max."

Max swallowed thickly, staggering forwards until she stood in front of him. The bar had gone silent when she reached up to brush his hair. "Fang," she whispered. He smiled and nodded once. Max's mouth trembled. "_Fang_," she said once more, eyes wet, before she pulled back her arm and her fist connected with Fang's face, sending him flying into a table.

"The heck, Max!" Fang yelped, clutching his nose to stop the bleeding and eyes widening at the sight of Max's fast and furious approach.

"_Fang_!" she screamed, mouth twisted into a snarl as she dove at him, fingers clawed.

"You better run, boy!" one of the men called tauntingly, the entire bar laughing as Fang scrambled backwards desperately.

"Max – stop!" _Crash_. "I'm sorry!" _Crack_. "I understand that you're upset!" _Silence_.

"Upset?" Max managed to get out through clenched teeth. "I'm not _upset_, Fang – I'm _furious_." She advanced, slowly, hefting a baseball bat she'd snatched from off the walls. "You left me and the Flock, and you didn't come back!" She swung the bat, smashing the table as Fang leapt away. "I waited for _six years_, Fang! I waited for you for _six freaking years_! You think I'm _upset_? I'll show you _upset_!"She gave one last swing, connecting with Fang and sending him crashing into one of the bikers, who choked on his drink as it splattered all over him.

Fang looked up into the slowly reddening face of the muscled man and gave a hesitant smile. "Sorry?"

The biker roared and threw him clear across the room – straight into another table full of very ripped and _very_ drunk men. Within moments, the entire bar had broken out into full-blown fighting.

Max laughed and sauntered back to the table and grabbed her drink, draining it in one gulp. "This is what I call fun!" she crowed, and dove back into the fray.

It was just so good to be her.

* * *

_Down – Jay Sean ft. Lil Wayne_

"Fang," Max hesitated, pulling back slightly, "are you sure it will be okay?"

Fang smiled softly, tucking a lock of blond hair behind Max's ear. "I'm sure. The Flock will be fine for a few hours, right? It is your mom's house, after all."

Max smiled in response and nodded. Fang took her and tugged it, and together they jumped off the roof, spreading their wings and gliding away. Max asked Fang once where they were going, but he just shook his head and flapped faster.

When they did reach the spot on the mountain, Max gasped. Set up inconspicuously on a ledge was a white-clothed table, complete with a meal and candlesticks. She glanced at Fang with accusing humor, and he shrugged and led her to a chair.

"This might be our only chance to have some alone time," he tried to explain, scooting her in and taking his seat. "I want us to enjoy it."

Max grinned and raised her glass. "I would have never pegged you for a romantic type, Fang."

He raised his own, answering her smile with a wide flash of teeth. "I'm full of surprises."

They ate their meal in relaxed silence, neither of them needing a constant chatter to lighten the mood. When they'd finished the final course, Max stood and glanced questioningly towards the direction of the house.

"Should we go back?" Silence answered her, and Max turned back to find her right-wing man had disappeared. "Fang?"

"Right here," his voice spoke a little ways away. Max whipped around to see him holding a small stereo and grinning. "I don't want to go back just yet." He set the stereo down and pressed a button, bowing as soft piano music started playing. "May I have this dance?"

Max suppressed an estranged giggle and curtsied. "It would be my pleasure."

Fang gently took her hand and placed his other on her hip as they swayed to the music. "Au contraire," he murmured, breath warm on her neck. "The pleasure is all mine."

Max sighed happily and leaned closer to him. After a few minutes of content silence, the song ended, and she glanced up at him, meeting his dark eyes. "I don't want this to end."

"Me neither."

"No, Fang, I mean _this_." She waved her hand between the two of them. "Us."

"It won't," Fang murmured, leaning in to her, but Max pulled back.

"How can you be sure?" she asked. "That little stunt you pulled a few months ago…"

"I came back, and I always will," he assured her, but her eyes remained doubtful. "Max, look at me," he ordered, settling his hands on her shoulders. She looked up with an almost captivated expression. "I love you, Max. I won't love anyone as much as I love you right now, at this very moment. You're the only one I'll ever love. I won't ever leave again."

"Really?"

"Not even if the sky was falling down around us," he said softly, drawing her into an embrace, his dark wings wrapping around them in a securely. His lips met hers gently, his love for her almost overwhelming his senses. He pulled back gently, resting his forehead on hers. "I love you."

"You know what, Fang?"

"Hm?"

Max looked up at him, smiling through tears, looking the happiest he'd ever seen her.

"I love you, too."

* * *

_Angels – Within Temptation_

Max gasped and cried out as she fell to the side. _Why?_ She screamed desperately in her head. _Why? Why?_ "Why?" she shrieked, staggering against a wall. She looked down at her side, pulling away her hand to see it streaked with blood. A low chuckle behind her startled her, and she whipped her head around.

"Don't fight it," the voice said silkily. "Accept death; that's the only way out."

"No." Max shook her head wildly. "No."

The shadowed figure stepped form the darkness, one hand outstretched. Max drew back with shaky breaths, tears trickling silently down her cheeks.

"Please," she whispered, sliding down the wll into a crumpled heap. "_Please… Fang."_

She' thought it had been a miracle when her love had returned from a six month hiatus, reappearing just as mysteriously as he'd disappeared. She'd thought that Angel's misgiving about Fang's state of mind were just fantasies of jealousy. She'd thought that everything had been fine.

She'd been wrong.

Itex had taken Fang, had planted the note, and had messed with his head. He wasn't Fang anymore; he was a mindless robotic killing machine, designed to assassinate people without a thought.

Designed to assassinate _Max_.

"Fang…" she whimpered as he approached in smooth calculating steps. Her eyes widened as he reached down and wrapped a cool hand around her throat, lifting her from the ground and a few feet in the air. Her fingers, slick with her own blood, scrabbled desperately against his hold, but it was useless.

He'd promised her that he'd always be with her. That he'd always be by her side. That he would always love her.

But now he was trying to kill her. He'd already killed the rest of the Flock. He'd strangled Nudge, shot Angel, ripped Iggy's wings of in midair so the blind bird kid had spiraled down to Earth, never knowing how near or far he was from death. He'd broken Total's neck and drowned Gazzy and ripped Dylan apart.

He'd murdered the Flock, one by one, picking them off until Max stood alone, screaming in anguish.

"You broke your promise," Max gasped, tears spilling from her eyes. "You broke your promise, Fang."

Fang's cold smile froze and faltered, features twitching. "M-max?" he stuttered. His hand loosened, and max fell to the ground with a cry. "Max?" he asked again, sounding like a confused child. "Max!"

Suddenly she was being cradled in warm arms, Fang's voice soft in her ear. "Max, Max, Max," he sobbed. "Please, Max…"

Max lifted a shaky hand to his face, stroking his cheek as he caught it and held it there. "Fang," she whispered.

"I'm so sorry, Max, please…"

"Everyone's gone…" she trailed off, shuddering as her breaths grew shorter. "I have to go, too…"

"No, Max," he moaned, tears making little rivers in his blood-stained face. "Please…"

"We've reached the end, Fang." Max smiled weakly, eyes dimming as her hand went slack. "But I've always loved you…"

Fang stared at her, horror written in his dark eyes as she grew still and her heartbeats faded from existence. Shaking in disbelief, he bowed his head and tried to gather his thoughts, until he could hold it in no longer. He threw his head to the sky and screamed his pain and grief to the heavens.

The Flock had reached its end.

* * *

_Breaking the Habit – Linkin Park_

_Why?_

_Why me?_

He couldn't answer the question.

He lay huddled against a wall in the bathroom, one hand clutching the back of his neck where, he knew – with painful, horrible, awful certainty – that those cursed numbers were burned into his skin, numbers that left him counting the days he had left, deciphering the hours, breathing the seconds until his heart would stop.

_Everything is wrong not right never right always always always wrong – _

The whitecoats had told him he'd be okay.

They'd been wrong.

_They lied how could they have lied why did they lie – stupid boy, they always lie!_

He should have known; he shouldn't have been so naïve. But he had been. Utterly, horribly, wastefully naïve.

Now he was paying the price.

_No no no they said that everything was okay everything was great everything was perfect – stupid boy, they always lie!_

He tasted the salt in his tears, the iron in his blood, the pain in his scream of agony. This wasn't supposed to happen, he was supposed to be strong and smart and fast and _safe_ –

_Stupid boy, they always lie!_

But now he was dying. _Why is this happening_?

He couldn't answer the question.

_Why me? _

_Why?_

Stupid boy. They always lie.

* * *

_Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson_

Max tapped her fingers on the computer keyboard, trying and failing to phrase her feelings in her head. She bit her lip and glanced at the clock, befre she sighed and set her mouth stubbornly.

_C'mon, Max_, she thought resolutely. _You've faced down Erasers and smashed M-Geeks and watched your brother die in your arms – you should be able to write some stupid email. _

Gritting her teeth, she clicked on the _New Message_ button.

_Dear Fang__ – _

Shaking her head quickly, she quickly deleted the words. That sounded too… weird. _Hm_… blinking with sudden insight, she began again.

_Fang –_

_Your note said twenty years, and then we'd meet again. I'm writing this after five years to tell you that I don't think that will work._

_I don't think we should see each other again._

_Don't get me wrong, our little crush was fun, but that's all it was – a crush. It wasn't love._

_We were never soul mates._

_Get this – the whitecoats did something right for the first time: they created my other half. Dylan is everything you could never be: tender, understanding, sensitive. Willing to listen and be a shoulder to cry on. Always right next to me, ready to do whatever I needed._

_Of course, I'll always hold a special place for you in my heart. You were my best friend, my right-wing man, my first love. But it just didn't work, did it? That's why you left – you knew it was falling apart._

_At first, I was crushed. I didn't know how to move or speak or even think. But then I started to remember – how you looked when Dylan showed up, how you acted when we got booted out together, how you left to face Gunther-Haagen alone. And then I understood. And after a while… I guess I forgot about how we felt together._

_Since you've been gone, I've done a lot of thinking. And I've come to some conclusions. First of all, I can do just fine without you. Second, I can breathe easily for the first time in my life. Third… it's all gone._

_Maybe it was just teenage hormones or some weird desperation that comes with the end of the world, but… whatever we had is over, Fang. It was over a long time ago._

_Sorry._

_- Max_

She typed the final words into the computer and clicked _Send_.

* * *

_Angels on the Moon – Thriving Ivory_

He'd left the world a long time ago.

Mostly physically, of course. But his spirit remained, lingering in those forbidden places he'd been barred from before he'd shed his pain-racked mortal shell and entered the land of the spirits.

Here, he was free. His name didn't matter. He didn't feel pain or sorrow or despair. Of course, that also meant he could never feel joy or laughter or love again, either. But it was a fair trade. He didn't think much of happiness, anyways. He hadn't known enough of it when he had a physical body to understand how sweet it could taste. No, he was content with the pure absence of feelings in general.

He could see what happened to the world he left behind, and hear the prayers and curses and screams of its inhabitants. Despite the void of emotion, he could sense what the earth felt through the symbianic vibrations in the air.

It was all a complicated process, and he didn't care to think about it too much; he was too busy watching the people he had left behind.

He watched when they lowered his decaying shell into the ground, heard the mournful whispers the uttered over his grave, felt the anguished tears of his half-sister as they spilled from her eyes.

Ah, well. She recovered soon enough, in time to yet again protect the fragile planet made of mud and rock that was the Earth. And then he watched as she yet again suffered another loss, as the extension of her soul fled into the shadows of the planet's underbelly.

If he could feel anything like disapproval, it was then. But yet again, his sister regained her footing and forged on ahead, battling her foes and friends alike, until she, too reached a breaking point that he himself had met long ago.

The problem, he discovered, was the way she obsessed over the things that didn't matter anymore. Jeb's betrayal, the loss of Fang, his own death…

If there was ever a more pressing urge ever felt, he'd never known it. He had to speak with her, to stop her from making any more mistakes, to guide her back to her path. Well, then. He gathered his strength and forced himself into her dreams, the only time when his realm and hers mingled.

He found her standing outside a cave, watching hawks soar above the clouds.

_Hello, Max_, he greeted her.

Her lithe form, now a few years more aged then he'd ever remembered, whipped around in shock. _Ari!_ Her eyes softened. _What – _

_The hawks are pretty, aren't they?_ He moved to stand next to her, eyes lifting to the strong shadows of the birds on the sun. _And they have such perfect wings. Wings I never could have had. _His tone wasn't accusing, or hateful; he wasn't capable of such emotions anymore. No, now he was only stating the facts.

She turned a somber gaze onto him. _Ari, I'm so sorry. _Her lips trembled, eyes closing, lashes wet. _I'm so, so sorry. I couldn't save you…_

He looked at her. _You never could have saved me, Max. My fate was sealed when the School messed with my genes. There was nothing you could have done. _

His sister's hands clenched. _But I should have tried. Oh, Ari…_

_That type of repetitive thinking isn't helping anyone, Max, _he chided gently. _I'm dead, and nothing is going to bring me back. You need to focus on the world now. Move on, Max. _

She turned fitful eyes on him. _I can't – I just can't. There are so many things I should have, could have, would have done…_

_Should and would and could are all different things. You need to decide what you _will_ do. _He felt her surprise and continued. _You have a chance to change the world, Max. Don't lose it. _

_I – _Max started, but stopped herself, shaking her head slowly. _I think I understand. I just don't know how to keep going. _

_Move on, Max. Let go of the past. Everything you did before – it doesn't matter right now. What matters is how you choose to spend your life. _He spread his arms like wings, framing himself against the moon as Max watched with wide eyes. _Never stop dreaming, Max. But don't ever forget the big picture, either. Show the world the true Maximum Ride. Show it what I never knew. _

Max nodded mutely, swiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. _Thank you, Ari._

He smiled, and action that he hadn't given in a long time. _Good-bye, Max_.

And then she was gone, and he was watching her wake up, rumpled and crying and smiling in her bed. He watched as she turned to look at a bewildered Nudge, who was questioning what she was doing. He watched as Max quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and said quietly, "Just dreaming of angels on the moon."

He watched – and he smiled.

* * *

_Fire Burning – Sean Kingston_

Gazzy was nervous, of course.

It wasn't everyday that the seventeen year old when to a club, after all. And a pricey one at that.

Besides, crowds + pyromaniac claustrophobic bird kid-teenager = not a good idea. Usually.

This time, however, he was determined to make the best of it. After all, he'd faced down Itex and beaten up Itex and buried friends. What was the worst a club could throw at him?

A lot, actually.

The music was the first thing he noticed. Heck, it practically took up all his attention. It pulsed in his chest, making his heart race and his senses tingle. It was like they were all just extensions of the beat, all moving and pounding and throbbing in the same rhythm, different components of the same entity. It was amazing and awful and wonderful, all at the same time.

And once he started moving, he just couldn't stop. He needed to be in motion, to weave and duck and roll with every note. Dancing, he discovered, was an amazing thing.

Somehow, he ended up in the middle of a crowd, twisting and turning and just moving to the music, aware of only that throbbing, pounding, pulsing beat in his chest –

So he didn't really notice when people started screaming about a fire. Heck, he even thought for a crazy second they were talking about _him_. Way to be conceited, Gazzy. Of course, in a way, they _were_ talking about him.

After all, he was the one who'd started the fire. Unintentionally, of course. Turns out some of his powers came late. Coolness factor, times a million.

Until Max found out and forbade him from going back to clubs ever again. Suddenly, his awesome new power wasn't so great anymore. Crap.

He fell into a kind of slump that not even his sister could shake him out of. He craved that amazing feeling dancing gave him, _needed_ it to survive.

Iggy probably saved his life, with what he came up with. The blind pyromaniac built a fireproof building, and wired the club's music to be pumped into it while images from the club's cameras were screened onto the walls.

And even Max had to agree that it was great idea, especially after she saw Gazzy's dancing.

It was just too cute.

* * *

**Awww. Too adorable. Actually, the last one bugs me. Couldn't really get the image in my head onto paper. And yes, I know, many of them are Fax, but that's just how the songs shuffled, so too bad so sad. :x**

**If anyone was confused, it goes like this:**

**Naturally by Selena Gomez - Max talking about Fang (awww)**

**Hot n Cold by Katy Perry - Nudge, Ella, and an indecisive Iggy (haha)**

**Pretty Handsome Awkward by The Used - Fang being horribly depressing, and OC, and Little Miss Perfect herself, Brigid Dwyer. (Btw, I hate her. Just saying.)**

**So What by P!nk - Max being rebelliously awesome, lots of OC men, and Fang being stupid. Yep. **

**Down by Jay Sean ft. Lil Wayne - my apology to all Fax lovers for the above two (lol)**

**Angels by Within Temptation - my taking back of my apology (mwuhaha)**

**Breaking the Habit by Linkin Park - a very sad pre-death Ari (*tear*)**

**Since U Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson - my half-hearted attempt to feed all those starving Max/Dylan fans (they're so hungry!)**

**Angels on the Moon by Thriving Ivory - an extrenely strange look on post-death Ari. (I'm not even kidding - I was on a sugar high when wrote it. But it's so weird I had to include it!)**

**Fire Burning by Sean Kingston - my failed attempt at Gazzy-humor. (It's rather pitiful, actually... :/)**

**Anyway, there ya go! :)**

**Reviews are always welcome!**


	2. More Than You Think

**I added a second part! Woot! But... soooo manyt are Faaaax... uuurrrhhhgggg...**

**iPod Challenge:**

**1. Pick a character, pairing, or fandom you like.**

**2. Turn on your music player and put it on random/shuffle.**

**3. Write a drabble related to each song that plays. **

**4. Do ten of these and then post them**

**Obviously I didn't do ten... but I did ten last time... so I think I'm exempt from the rule ;)**

* * *

_Dream Girl – Basshunter_

She was his dream girl.

Iggy just knew it.

From the first moment he'd heard her voice, he knew that Ella Martinez was special – a diamond in the rough.

She didn't judge him like the others, didn't see him as a way to earn some quick cash. He wasn't a freak around her.

She saw him for who he was: a blind kid lost in a world where any weakness will kill you.

And he loved her for it.

Even if he couldn't see her, he could imagine it: her smooth walk, the gentle curve of her chin, the light in her dark eyes.

How he wished he could see! How he longed to gaze at her, drink in her beauty, memorize the lines of her face.

He loved her more deeply than she would ever know. She was his world, his love, his life.

His world.

* * *

_Forgiven – Within Temptation_

His breath rattled in her ears as she clutched him closer to her.

Max had finally found him.

After three long, tiring, agonizing years of searching, she had found him.

And now he was dying.

"Why?" she whispered to the rain, as her lover's body was racked with coughing. "Why this, why now?"

She had found him fighting bravely, battling Erasers and Flyboys and other monstrosities in a ravine. She'd pushed her anger and joy and love aside and had joined him, beating down the enemy until none remained.

But she was too late.

He'd already taken too many hits to the heart.

"Fang, stay with me, please," she begged him as his eyelids fluttered. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

"M – max…" he choked out.

"I'm here, with you. Talk to me, stay awake," she pleaded. Her tears were spilling over, mixing with the rain that poured in torrents around them.

"I – I'm sorry, Max" he whispered, failing to lift his hand farther than a few inches off the ground.

"It's okay, Fang," she soothed, taking his hand and bringing it to her cheek like he wanted.

"I'm sorry," Fang continued on, like he hadn't heard her. "I just wanted to get away for a while. The note didn't mean anything. It was just an excuse."

Max just stroked his face and said nothing.

"I had my demons that I had to sort out, you know? We all have them. You, me, Angel…" he broke off into a fit of coughing. Max wiped the blood from his mouth and let him continue. "I think I was mostly just tired of the fight. It seemed like recently, everything was a fight. First the whole thing with Ari, and then when Angel left, and when she kicked us out of the Flock. It was Dylan, I think, that drove me over the edge. I thought that if I sorted out the newest threat, we could all relax, like you wanted. I was wrong.

"Instead, I got captured. You had to save me. Everyone almost died because of me. Dylan had told me earlier that I was the threat. I guess the whole incident made me believe him." Fang lapsed into silence, and Max let him think whole she concentrated on cleaning the wounds on his face, stroking his hair every now and then.

"I'm so sorry, Max. I gave up the fight. I left you alone, with nothing but a note as my good-bye. I loved you so much, and now it's too late." He took a shuddering breath, his lungs rasping.

Max looked straight into his darkening obsidian eyes, her tears falling onto his face. "I know, Fang. You left me, but you did it out of love. I love you. You'll always be mine, and my heart will always belong to you. I forgive you." She sealed her words with a kiss on his lips, pulling away only when he started trembling again.

"Thank you, Max," Fang whispered. His body went slack in her arms, and his eyes closed one final time. His chest rose once, twice, and then nevermore.

Max was left in silence, with only the rain a witness to her grief.

_

* * *

_

Let It Go – Cavo

Max sighed, the wind rushing past her ears and whipping her hair into a frenzy.

All this time. All these years. And all those wasted tears.

She supposed she ought to be happy. Fang's little stunt, all those long years ago, hadn't lasted very long. He'd been back just a few weeks later, unconscious and bloody.

Turns out that even Fang had a limit on how many Erasers and M-Geeks and Flyboys he could take.

But when she'd confronted him about the whole taking-off thing, he'd just told her that he'd done what he thought was right.

Stupid jerk.

And as soon as he was all healed up, he'd flown the coop again.

Max thought she knew him better.

She was wrong.

His return the second time wasn't so welcoming. Max had yelled at him, demanding to know what on Earth he was thinking, and did he know just what kind of danger he was putting the Flock in?

Fang just looked at her and kept silent.

But Max liked to think that he was apologetic, and just didn't know what he was doing. So she let him back in, with a good amount of verbal abuse and a load of fiery looks.

Didn't do a thing.

She guessed now that Fang had developed a taste for adventure, and lust for the thrill that came with a solo cross-country flight.

And yet, throughout it all, Fang kept coming back to her, whispering sweet nothings and administering passionate kisses.

And then he'd leave, often for months on end, while the Flock waited and worried and fretted.

And then Max got tired of it.

She put her foot down. Fang had to choose: the Flock (and by default, her) or the traveling.

Fang, of course, didn't like it. He tried to find a compromise. And that's what drove Max mad. The fact that Fang wouldn't – maybe _couldn't_ – choose between her and a stupid trip.

So she told him to forget it. To get lost. To hit the road.

It was the hardest thing she'd ever done.

Max landed heavily on an outcropping of rock, folding in her wings and standing alone. Biting back tears, Max stared at the sky, ignoring the gathering storm and the wind that was picking up around her.

She just needed to let Fang go. She'd pretty much done that already. Fang was too much of a drug to her to ever really be safe.

Max ran a hand through windblown hair and tried to imagine herself and Fang apart. Separated.

It was a surprisingly easy picture to conjure up.

* * *

_Bad Influence – P!nk _

_(Kind of a sequel to So What by P!nk)_

Ella giggled and tipped back another drink. It was pink and fruity and contained alcohol, and that was good enough for her.

Ever since she'd turned eighteen, she'd gotten a rebellious streak. If she were sober right now, she might blame Max; after all, they were half-sisters. Max had left an open bottle of watered-down beer lying around, and, well, Ella had been curious.

So she tried it.

She was instantly addicted.

It was so good, she couldn't even describe it. When she'd finished the bottle, she couldn't wait to try it again, so when her friend had invited her to a party ("One of the _good_ ones," she'd been informed, the kind where the alcohol was passed around freely and the neighbors didn't care how riotous you got) a few days later, Ella had jumped at the chance.

_And it was a good decision_, she thought ditzily, whooping with the others and taking a swig from a passing bottle. Winking at couple of hot guys, she gave an extra hip wiggle for effect. She was having the time of her life, on some sort of alcohol induced high that left her reeling and giddy and flat-out _drunk_.

And then everything went south.

It started when the front door crashed open, which caused the puttering sound system to falter and die completely. Three dozen pairs of drunk teenage eyes turned to see a figure standing in the doorway. Ella had enough sense to recognize who it as and groan.

Max stood there, looking furious and rumpled and _gorgeous_. Ella pouted; Max always stole all the best-looking guys.

Max's eyes scanned the crowd until she found the one she was looking for. The crowd parted for her as she strode forwards angrily, until she came to a stop in front of an extremely-intoxicated Ella.

"What the heck do you think you're doing here?" Max snapped, voice sharp and dangerous.

"Partying! Sheesh, Max, you make it sound like it's a crime. I thought you liked to party!" Ella pursed her lips before glancing blearily at the bartender. "Hey! Get her a tequila! They make her more fun."

Ma made a sound of disgust and she grabbed Ella's arm, hauling her a few steps. "Let's go, Ella. You don't belong here."

"Ooh, road trip!" Ella woozily waved to the crowd, who were already dancing as the music stuttered back to life and steadily climbed louder. "I'm off to the doctor! Let's hope she can fix me!" Ella's friends shrieked in intoxication-induced laughter, which soon faded as Ella was dragged out the door.

Ella tripped over the doorway, sending herself sprawling into the arms of a red-faced man. She looked up and smiled goofily. "Wassup?" she giggled.

The man pushed her away. "Is this your house?" he demanded angrily. Behind him, max rolled her eyes and tapped her foot impatiently.

Ella tipped her head back and regarded the mansion solemnly, before she turned back to the mane and announced gravely, "It is."

"Is my son in there?" the man shouted furiously. "I can _smell_ the alcohol from here, lady, and my son is _not_ twenty-one!"

"Let me tell you something," Ella slurred, flinging an arm around the sputtering man's neck. "Your son's the captain of the football team, right? Let me tell you, he tried to come over, but I forced him out. Now, he wasn't the first, and he definitely won't be the last, so –"

"And _that_ is enough," Max said in exasperation, pulling Ella away from the gaping adult and dragging her the rest of the way to the car. Pushing her in and slamming the door, Max had the car started and rolling down the driveway in less than thirty seconds.

"Honestly, Ella, why on Earth would you do something like this?" Max sighed. Ella just giggled and sank farther into the seat.

"Aw, Max, you're such a killjoy. Don't you like to go to bars?"

"That's only because I'm legal to drink. Which you are _not_."

Ella yawned dramatically. "Whatever." Suddenly spotting a group of attractive, young, _single_ men passing by on the sidewalk, she rolled down her window and stuck her head out, hollering, "Hey, boys! Anyone want to get a drink?"

Max just put her head in her hands and groaned.

* * *

_In The End – Linkin Park_

He'd tried, he really had.

But it didn't matter. It didn't matter how hard he tried, how long he kept at it, or how far he got.

It just didn't matter.

It was time. That was his enemy.

He could watch it move past him, in the swinging pendulum, in the slow, steady, never-ending ticking, that no matter how many times he destroyed them, he could always hear that steady _tick tick tick_.

Always there, in everything he saw. His own heart beat out the accursed rhythm, steadily pounding his life away.

_Tick tick tick_ –

Precious seconds of his life, slipping away between his fingers like endless grains of sand, leaving him alone, never able to steal them back, just losing seconds and minutes and hours, day after day.

He tried to trust people, to lock away his heart with them, like they would keep it safe and secure and never let it go, doing everything for them to keep them safe so they in turn would keep him safe and protected and never let him fall –

It didn't even matter. He fell anyways, and lost everything.

He tried to keep it in, like he could stop time, pushing himself to an emotional limit, keeping everything – every snarl, every tear, every cry of grief – keeping it all inside and never letting it go –

It didn't even matter.

He was dying.

Every heartbeat, every breath, _everything_ wasted his life.

He tried, he really did. He tried to leave his mark on the world, in good and bad ways.

In the end, it didn't even matter.

* * *

_Ave Mary A – P!nk_

Everything was wrong.

The world had gone mad, and Max couldn't do a thing about it. She was only a girl of sixteen, after all. Mutant or not, she couldn't go against entire countries.

_Child, be still_.

And so the world slipped into war, and chaos reigned.

Max could do little more than stand at the sidelines and rage and scream and cry with the everyone else.

_Child, be still_.

She tried, she really did. But there was simply too much to try and solve, and too little time. When it seemed like she'd knocked the enemy, a stronger one rose from the ahses to take its place.

And slowly, Max found herself losing faith in her abilities. What good was she, when she couldn't even kill Itex completely?

_Child, be still_.

It burned at her, to see the children wailing in the streets and the families mourn for their loved ones lost to the hatred of war. It made her enraged and defeated at the same time. She knew it was her own devil, to be plagued with the oppurtunities to stop this madness, only to have her chances stripped away, one layer at a time.

_Why_? She'd screamed that question to the heavens so many times. _Why must I be tormented with this? Let me save this world, these people, my family! Let me do _something_!_

_Child, be still_.

It drove her mad. Where was the light in this world? Where was the justice? The essence of life?

_Let me save it! Let me save this world gone mad! _

She raged and screamed and fought with all her strength.

It did no good.

_Child, be still_.

* * *

_Waiting for the End – Linkin Park_

Ari was merely waiting for the end now.

He'd been through it all. Through the pain and despair, the treachery and lies, the crushed hope and dying dreams.

There was nothing left. Nothing left to hold onto, nothing to remember. Nothing to live for.

No, now he was just waiting for the end.

If he had his choice, he'd have traded his life for something new long ago, and left his past behind.

But everything was out of his control. Nothing he'd planned had ever gone right, so now he was left powerless, stripped of anything of worth and left, waiting for the end.

He lied and cheated and bullied his way to the top. He'd killed so many people. He'd destroyed so many lives.

He had so many things he wanted to say to people, so many things left unsaid. It was hard to leave it all.

He just couldn't let it go, could he? He had to keep reliving the past, obsessing over his mistakes, and wishing for something else.

He wished he could move on, let it go, do _something_.

But all he could do was sit there, and wait for the end, all the while holding onto something he never had.

* * *

**Anyway, there ya go! :)**

**Reviews are always welcome!**


End file.
